The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1887-02-05


postpone our visit to the flow until the
following morning During the night
the only fire that could be distinguished
was that issuing from the crack at the
summit of the mountain, a crust of cold
lava having formed over the flow and
the lava running beneath it. Thanks
to the hospitality and forethought OF
Mr. Jones we passed pleasant night,
and at daylight started for the flow OF
1887.
Crossing the flow Of 1868 and fol
lowing the Government road for some
two miles, we arrived at the flow where
it crossed the above road. The lava,
or al as is the native term for this par
ticular kind of flow, was, as near as
could be judged, between three-quar-
tiers Of mile and mile in width, and
about eight feet higher than the road
bed. No fire could be seen, but smoke
and heat were issuing from the mass as
far as the eye could reach. Climbing
up the embankment we started across
the flow, but had not gone far when the
heat became SO intense that we we're
forced 10 return to the road.
The flow as seen at the crossing of
the Government road presented won
derful and desolate appearance. In
stead Of looking like lava, it had the
appearance CT large Jumps of dark, dry
clay, and when stepped on it crumbled
away under foot. To all appearance,
and in the opinion Of old residents,
the molten lava was still flowing at
about six feet underneath the crust or
covering, and gradually shifting and
changing it about The course the
flow has taken from the source winds
around through the lower hills, branch
ing off in some places, making several
streams which eventually join the main
stream before it reaches the sea. Just
before it reaches the sea it branches of
making two streams, one falling on
each side of a knoll In some places
the width Of the flow averages from a
mile and a half to two miles.
THE SOURCE OF THE FLOW, JAN. 20.
The following description of the
flow, by Mr.. w. f. Rowell, will give
our readers a good idea of its magnif-
cence. Mr.. Rowell assembled the
mountain to the source on January 90
and carefully studied its peculiar fea
lures and aspects, as will be seen in hi:
description
"a lava flow Of such large volume al
the present must change its feature!
so rapidly that different observers re-
cording the views at different times vii
seem to make statements which seri
ously conflict. All | can pretend t.
give is the appearance Of the flow from
my points Of view during one day
January 90. Leaving the Government
road a little west of the flow of '6S
about 4 a. M, / started on foot with
the light at the source Of the flow for &
guide, picking my way over the ancien
flows, through the bush and koa tim
Der, making as near bee line as thu
ground would permit. Daylight founC
: me in the scrubby woods. which grow
lower down than the more open koa
An hour later l reached ridge which
overlooked the flow at all elevation o
? 1900 feet above the level Of the sea
1t was here an open river, with well-de
J fined banks, running at the rate of ST
or eight miles an hour, and the clea
width could not be less than $50 fee
A, and was probably zoo feet. The view
} of the river alone was enough to pa,
for the climb A large rock stood ii
the middle of the stream and the mol
ten fluid piled up against it, almost SO
ing over it at times, so that it was i'm
possible not to watch it for time t
7 see it carried away. 1t gave no sign
r of yielding, but it seemed to groN
=, in size. The stream did not show tn
/, smooth surface Of perfect fluid, a
2 for instance that of molten irons bu
seemed filled with Jumps or grains, oc
casionally carrying black blotches alon
a on its surface, that the Imagination
a could convert into fragments of a boa
, or carcases of animals. Going on, m
: course took me away from the flow
E which made considerable bend to tn
: west. At nine o'clock | reached tn
J, upper limit of The koa forest and coul
, see the fountain of lava boiling up be
n hind black walls OF fresh lava. Th
e ground for mile or two below tn
# source of the flow, having less fall thai
= lower down, the lava had spread out S
y far on each side that it was impossibl
E looking at it from one side to form an
S well defined idea Of its full width an
t shape,
S "At 10 o'clock | was abreast of tn
boiling mass, whence arose the dens
# volume of vapor which had been tn
!, beacon towards which | had bee
+ steering. In the midst of such desol'
!. ton it was very hard to judge acct
o rately of height and distance, but NAL
e ing as careful estimates as possible
e Judged that / had reached poir
!. about 400 feet east Of the lava foun
l. ain. 1t was surprise and a pleasur
S to discover a party of four persons o
v an elevation few hundred yards ava,